USO News

USO Helps Deployed Marine Be By Wife's Side to Witness Birth of First Son

Thursday, May 08, 2014

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.--When Marine Capt. Nick Whitefield said goodbye to his wife, Laura, and his daughter, Audrey, to deploy to Afghanistan last summer, he figured he'd be missing some big moments. Laura was three months pregnant with the couple's son Ethan, known to them at the time only as "Peanut."

"We've been through deployments before, but the fact that I was pregnant made it ten times more difficult," Laura said.

When the message came that Laura was about to deliver, Nick knew exactly where to go to support her as best he could.

"I ran as fast as I could to the USO — barged in the door—found the lady who ran the USO and said, 'My wife's having a baby, what can you do?'"